Medium Format Video is slowly becoming a thing, as anyone with an attentive eye walking the floor of Photokina 2016 this past week could tell you. After numerous talks with medium format camera manufacturers at the show, I can certainly see a pattern evolving. We also managed to get some clean footage from the Phase One XF camera with the new IQ3 module.
Is Medium Format Video Coming?
Of all the current trends in digital cinematography, one of the most interesting is the shift towards larger sensors. We can also observe this in the photo segment, and as photo and video move closer and closer together, Photokina 2016 proved to be a very important show indeed.
In the case of the Phase One XF camera, it seems almost like a déjà-vu from the time when we started cinema5D, back when the Canon 5D Mark II came out. Back then, Canon and Nikon were clueless that they had created an entirely new tool that caused a revolution and blurred the border between high end cinema and entry level video shooting. A similar transformation of the market seems to be in progress on the medium format front.
Phase One XF and the IQ3 camera back
Upon showing up with an Atomos Shogun Flame at the Phase One booth at Photokina, everyone seemed quite confused. We wanted to do was capture the HDMI stream from their new medium format camera. Of course, they focus on the kind of high-end photography that their expensive cameras really excel at, so they have little interest in video at all. But they didn’t seem to suspect that, with a few tweaks, this system could become a valuable asset for video shooting photographers and filmmakers alike. Unfortunately, many manufacturers today are often looking at their existing user base and sometimes miss an opportunity like this. I’m certain that in the not too distant future medium format video will be a standard in these cameras, likely in 8K, just like 4K is now a standard in every new mirrorless photo camera that comes out.
Atomos Shogun Flame connected to Phase One XF via HDMI
As you can see in the video we shot, the video capabilities of the Phase One XF with IQ3 back is still taking baby steps. In fact, it looks like the clean HDMI output with manual controls that we were able to record with the Atomos Shogun Flame is more a coincidence than a conscious decision. We really hope Phase One will take this functionality further and add some kind of log gamma output or a reduced contrast mode allowing for capture of the full dynamic range of the output, because the footage surely looks very very nice. The bokeh was soft like butter the way that only a medium format camera can capture, and the quality was very nice, without any noticeable aliasing or noise. Just an external, clean HDMI output in 4K would certainly make a big difference.
Why is large format video a thing?
Read our popular article: Full Frame and Beyond – Large Sensor Digital Cinema
Who Else is Doing Medium Format Video?
As mentioned, there are a few medium format companies that are on the brink of incorporating usable video functionality in their cameras. I believe none of them realise the potential for filmmakers.
Fujifilm GFX 50S
The Fujifilm GFX 50S presented at Photokina 2016 is a compact medium format camera that introduces a new lens mount and lens family altogether. The Fujifilm GFX 50S has a 51.4-megapixel resolution (8256 x 6192) and is confirmed to shoot video internally. We had a talk with Fujifilm general manager Theo Georghiades, but unfortunately our microphone system died during this video interview. In short, there will be no 4K in this camera, but we’re looking forward to the HD footage this new medium format will produce.
Hasselblad H6D-100c
This camera was introduced in April of this year and brings with it 4K RAW video. At Photokina 2016, the people from Hasselblad showed us the first 4K footage from this camera and it looked amazing. Like others, they mostly pointed at the photo functionality and see this merely as a bonus for photographers. We hope to review this camera soon.
Hasselblad X1D-50c
Then there’s the X series. The Hasselblad X1D-50c medium format camera will also capture HD video at 25fps (?) and in an H.264 format.
Leica S (Typ 007)
Then there’s the Leica S (Typ 007) of course, which captures 4K DCI at 4:2:2, but does so with a S35 crop of the sensor.
Sinar S30|45 Digital Back
[Update:] As cinema5D reader Josh Evans pointed out, Swiss camera manufacturer Sinar also just released a digital camera back that records 4K video internally. The Sinarback S30|45 has a Leica CMOS-sensor and Leica Maestro II image processor. This camera back is specifically designed to shoot both stills and video.
What’s next?
Clearly the medium format camera manufacturers have some more work to do if they want to make these cameras also fit the needs of filmmakers, but these first steps are a good start and give us something to look forward to. Among filmmakers, large format is starting to make a comeback: Arri took an important step with the Arri ALEXA 65 to establish a larger digital sensor size, just like the Phantom 65, Panavision DXL or RED’s VistaVision 8K camera.
What do you think? Where are we heading with medium format video? Are we likely to see 4K or even 8K video on medium format cameras anytime soon? Would you adopt it? Let the camera manufacturers know. Some are still listening.

Watch previous episodes of ON THE COUCH & ON THE GO by clicking here! Visit our Vimeo and YouTube playlists, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!
Watch part 1 and part 2 of episode 20 by clicking here – in case you missed it!
In the 3rd and final part of episode 20 of ON THE COUCH, I talked with pro photographers Kamil Tamiola, Tom Barnes and Lucas Gilman about the sheer amounts of data we have to deal with in photography and filmmaking these days, and how to deal with these amounts.
Kamil mentioned that he is shooting a lot for Phase One with their own cameras, producing 50 or 80 Megapixels per frame – in 16 bits. After layering changes onto his files in post production, he ends up with photos which are 5 to 6 Gigabytes easily.
Tom talks about how he is almost exclusively shooting tethered on his photo shoots – even going so far that his clients get iPad Mini’s into their hands to check out the shots and rate them right after he took them, which of course speeds up his selection and post production process tremendously.
On the stresses of photographing new prototype cars for JEEP, Kamil said how he can see Wifi connected cameras are the future especially when you have fast turn around shoots with little time to mess stuff up – clients can get an idea of what’s being shot while they are there, which also keeps them off your back as a shooter. Additionally, an assistant can already do temporary image processing for previews.
Finally, Tom showed off his incredibly portable location workstation, a custom built Pelican 1510 Case which houses a MacBook with a large external battery that can power it three or four times over a normal charge, plus a couple of tethered G-Technology G-Drive ev SSDs for instant backups when shooting tethered with a DSLR.
For details, head over to Tom’s blog post about his location workstation.
In the next episode of ON THE COUCH, we will have representatives from ZEISS, Samyang and SLR Magic talking about their different – and similar – approaches when it comes to lens development, as well as their new products. Tune back in next Friday!
Watch all other episodes of ON THE COUCH so far by clicking here!
Please visit our sponsors’ websites to keep new episodes of ON THE COUCH coming! Thanks to G-Technology, Røde Microphones, Movidiam, FilmConvert & F&V.

Watch previous episodes of ON THE COUCH & ON THE GO by clicking here! Visit our Vimeo and YouTube playlists, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!
In episode 20 of ON THE COUCH, I talked to professional photographers Kamil Tamiola, Tom Barnes and Lucas Gilman. We had a very engaging discussion about their work and the present and future of photography, filmmaking and imaging in general. Thanks to one of our main sponsors G-Technology, we were able to assemble a full couch of “G-Team” brand ambassadors (including yours truly) for this taping in our beautiful suite during Photokina 2014 in Cologne.
Asked about their current projects, Kamil talked about his campaign for Phase One which he is shooting on their medium format digital cameras in extreme altitudes on top of the highest peaks of this planet. He mentioned how much he is actually relying on advances in technology when it comes to resolution and especially dynamic range – having extremely overblown highlights as well as dark shadows in just one image. Watch Kamil’s full behind the scenes promo video for his Mont Blanc Phase One Campaign at the bottom.
Tom Barnes is best known for his portraits of bands and musicians, and has a large body of work in that field and many years of experience. He talked about about a production for Channel 4 called “Don’t Stop the Music”, produced by Jamie Oliver’s production company, which tries to get children into learning musical instruments again after public funding in the UK for that was cut.
Lucas Gilman is also known for his extreme outdoor and nature photography recently shot the campaign for the new Nikon D810 DSLR in some beautiful locations. See the Behind-the-scenes video at the bottom of this post. Lucas mentions the built-in timelapse function in the Nikon D810 which sounds actually quite amazing for filmmakers, because it takes a lot of work away from post production, being able to assemble those timelapses right in camera.
The first part of our discussion focused on the photography revolution that took part over the past 10 years with digital technology really becoming the massively dominant way of taking photos, with film fading away much quicker than anyone anticipated. We talked about how jobs changed because of the technology and how photography has gotten anywhere … also turning a professional photographer’s world upside down.
We touched on how this revolution is still taking place in filmmaking and cinematography, and how we are currently experiencing that megapixel hype that the photography industry is already done with – there, now it’s about dynamic range and color rendition and not only the higher megapixel counts at all costs.
In part 2 of this episode to be published next week, we will talk about photographers who are moving into video and cinematography, and what they need to be aware of. Also, we talk more about advances in camera technology and what that actually means creatively.
Watch all other episodes of ON THE COUCH so far by clicking here!